Dondon
Dondon is a commune in the Saint-Raphaël Arrondissement of Haiti. ]] About Dondon, a Northern Department commune, is part of the Saint-Raphaël Arrondissement. It includes five Communal Sections: Brostage, Cayman Basin, Matador, Laguille, Haut du Trou. Portions of the second and third were attributed to the commune of Ranquitte during its creation in 1889. Prior to incorporation,Ranquitte was an ancient district located in the rural area of Matador. History The area was called "Trou-Dondon" (English: "Dondon Hole") and was conceded to the buccaneer-surgeon André Minguet, the first European colonist established in Dondon. On September 11, 1698, following the signing of the Treaty of Ryswick (1697) between France and Spain, Jean-Baptiste du Casse, governor of Santo Domingo, granted him the concession "of the place commonly called the Trou-du-Dondon, bounded by the mountains that form the Cape, and on the other side of the mountains of the savannas of the Grand Fond, Limbé, and the river of the Pimentier". This was in return for services provided rendered by the buccaneer-surgeon. This "surgeon" established in the woods a sort of hospital where he received and treated sick filibusters. However, Dondon did not become a real establishment until about 1727. In 1789, the parish of Dondon falling then from the district known as Limonade counted 1: 600 whites, 200 freedmen and 9000 slaves; 300 white men and freedmen bearing arms; 1 indigotery, 6 food places and 210 cafés (or coffee). Geography According to the IHSI, the commune has a total area of 120.36 square kilometers (46.47 square miles), of which 96.54 km² (79%) is rural, 23.82 km² (20%) is suburban, and 0.75 km² (>1%) is urban. The commune is bordered by the towns of Acul-du-Nord and Plaine-du-Nord on the north, Grande-Rivière-du-Nord on the east, Saint-Raphaël on the southeast, the Artibonite towns of Saint-Michel and Marmelade on the southwest and on the west. Dondon is an interior city, located in the Northern Massif (Massif du Nord) mountain range. Its dominant terrain is mountainous and its climate is cool. Its altitude varies between 390 meters (1,200 feet) for the villages of Grand-Gilles and Brostage, and up to 1,028 meters (3,373 feet) for the village of Haut-du-Trou. The inhabitants of the commune bear the name of Dondonnais. The Bouyaha River crosses through commune of Dondon. Demography Neighborhoods , Nord, Haiti]] Economy ]] The local economy is based on growing coffee, cocoa, lime and sugar cane. With regard to the Economic and Financial Establishments, the Municipality of Dondon is deprived of it. Infrastructure Education The Ministry of National Education of Youth and Sports is represented in the Commune of Dondon by a school inspection office. Nine public, numerous private, two Congregational and one public secondary school have been listed in the Commune. Health The Ministry of Public Health and Population is not represented in the municipality of Dondon. One health center with bed was inventoried with a doctor, a nurse, and numerous other employees. Utilities As for water availability, two rivers, a spring and a lagoon were counted at the commune level. Regarding electricity, some streets of the city of Dondon are electrified. Security At the level of the Administrative and Judicial Infrastructures, the Commune has a Court of Peace, and a Police Station. There is no Prison in the Commune. The garrison of the commune consists of a gendarmerie company, an administrative police, an artillery line of the great River of the north, the National Guard on foot and rural police. Culture Religion Nearly eleven temples of all beliefs have been enumerated in the Commune. These temples are Catholic (3), Baptist (5), Adventist (1), Wesleyan (1), and Jehovah's Witness (1). The Catholic parish of Dondon was created in 1727 and dedicated to St. Martin de Tours. Organizations With regard to the political parties and other organizations, there were two popular organizations, one non-commercial cooperative, and one NGO. Communication In terms of communication, Dondon has no newspaper / magazine, no radio station, no television station. Leisure , Haiti]] As for Culture and Leisure, there is no library, museum, movie theater. The parish hall sometimes serves as a theater. The main gaguères are three and the town has a football (soccer) field. There are two natural sites; Voute à Minguet located in Laguille and Grotte des Dames located at Pont des Dames. These sites served as temples to the first inhabitants of the island. Every year they come from all corners of the island to offer sacrifices. Patron's saint is St. Martin, celebrated on November 11th. dd3.jpg|Dondon is a haven for nature lovers, History and Culture enthousiasts, speleotourists, the curious, and the adventurous dd4.jpg|Road to higher ground; Dondon, Haiti dd6.jpg|View of Citadelle, from Dondon dd7.jpg|Saint-Martin Festival Dondon 20619c.png|Voute a Minguet Cave Dondon 20619d.png|Vout a Minguet entrance Dondon 20619f.png|Marc-Antoine Cave Dondon 20619k.png Dondon 20619l.png|Dondon entertainers; jambres de bois Monuments and sites The Voute à Minguet (English: Vault in Minguet) is a cave, place of worship of the Taïnos in pre-Columbian times, and today vodun place of worship. Moreau de Saint-Mery describes it and reports that it was the first habitation of the Minguet buccaneer at Dondon. It must also be noted that there are about ten caves in this municipality. such as Voute des Dames, Marc Antoine Cave, Voute la smoke, Cadelia, including the caves to which have not yet been given a name. Next to the caves, there are other sites such as Negro Square at Mathador, a site at Brostage, and many more. Celebrities Jean-Baptiste the Pers (died in 1743, in Dondon), French Jesuit Vincent Ogé (around 1755, in Dondon - beaten up in 1791, in Cape-Français), figure of the Haitian revolution André Mainguet References "Grottes. La Voute à Minguet, Dondon, Haiti" https://m.facebook.com/MyLoveForHaiti/posts/707385332644880 "Dondon - Ecotourisme" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffWmBKBCuPE "Up the mountain to Dondon" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iMV9hJsoko Michael Vedrine Category:Saint-Raphaël Arrondissement Category:Nord, Haiti Category:Communes with 7 neighbors Category:Cocoa production Category:Coffee production Category:Citrus production Category:Sugarcane production